Russian Navy facing 'irreversible collapse'

The Russian Navy is currently on the verge of 'irreversible collapse', according to a recent analysis published by the authoritative Moscow-based weekly - the Independent Military Review .

The report, entitled 'BMF RF [Naval Military Fleet of the Russian Federation] on Foreign Warships', says the main cause for the 'collapse' is the state of the Russian shipbuilding industry, which is "incapable of producing warships in either the quantity or at the level of quality that their navy customer requires" for the future.

According to the analysis, the navy's leadership "understands that this is a hopeless situation and are looking for a way out by considering the purchase of naval vessels from abroad".

The issue was raised during the International Military Naval Exposition (MVMS) that took place in the last week of June in St Petersburg.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, outlined the problem when he said: "Our [challenge] is how to significantly improve the condition of our fleet without destroying the economic activity in the country."